Heading To Jaipur Lit Fest? Take A Break To Visit The World’s Largest Personal Diary Collection

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What Makes It Awesome

While Jaipur gets abuzz with the most awaited Literature Festival, 2018, you must explore this gem while you are in the Pink City. Castle Kanota lies 15 km from the city centre on Jaipur-Agra highway making it a perfect entry or exit from the Pink City. The castle was built in 1872 by Thakur Zorawar Singh, who was asked to administer Kanota Thikana as a part of the cabinet of Jaipur Maharaj.
Built in a green patch, this place exudes grandeur of Rajput royalty, set amidst fruit orchards, the place is adorned with frescoes, period furniture, and artefacts. What stands out the most is the Amar Singh Library and Museum maintained by the royal family of Kanota. Amar Singh, the grandson of Thakur Zorawar, apart from being critical in Jaipur seat administration, was a scholar of delight. He had the spirit of a thinker and wrote a diary for forty-four years {1898 to 1942}, he left behind eighty-nine volumes of what is perhaps the longest continuously written diary in the world.
These bound diaries personally maintained by the royal family offer a fascinating glimpse of the royal courts, colonial encounters, and connected histories of Rajasthan. The rest of the collection ranges from paintings, maps, photographs, books, and household accounts to carriages, arms, armour, and firearms. The museum itself is housed in a tahkhana, the underground space used by soldiers then to take refuge from the heat.
The closest parallel to Amar Singh’s collections would possibly be the large country house libraries in the UK, typically built by generations of a family. Amar Singh’s library, on the other hand, is the work of an individual. It is a gem to walk through and assimilate how Jaipur and Rajasthan once was. You can even stay at the palace, enjoy homecooked breakfast and Laal Maas, interact with the royal family which is more than willing to discuss their history with you.
Oh, did we forget to mention? They even have a personal collection of horses, the finest ones that win polo matches in Jaipur.

What's My Pro Tip?

The Palace can be made a pit stop for lunch combined with a visit to the Amar Singh Museum. Those who wish to escape the hustle of staying in the city during the Literature Festival can also opt to stay at this beautifully restored castle.

What Could Be Better?

The basic category rooms are small, overlooking a huge verandah and period style washrooms, however, the ambience of the castle makes up for everything.

Anything Else?

So while you are at the JLF, add Castle Kanota to your Pink City sight-seeing and experience list.